Winged Wednesday - Catching the Flycatchers

When getting started with backyard birding, you may find that it's easy to attract your first dozen or species by putting up a bird feeder. You may be able to increase the number or frequency by planting certain plants such as Cardinal Flower, Purple Coneflower, or Blue Stem grasses. The birds which can be most difficult to catch a glimpse of are the ones which you can manipulate less easily. Many birds have a diet filled with insects and small invertebrates. In an earlier post, we previewed some of the Thrushes you may encounter in your backyard. This post will focus on Flycatchers.

Eastern Phoebe came buy right after both our yard and our neighbor's yard was mowed.

Flycatchers are birds which specialize in catching flying insects in flight. Often they rely on a technique called hawking. Flycatchers may be found sitting on perches such as fence posts, shrubs, tree limbs, or wires. These energetic birds may bob a bit while perched. They make short flights out to catch insects before returning to their perch.

Common Flycatchers in the Midwest include: Eastern Phoebes, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Kingbirds, Eastern Wood Peewees, and the Least Flycatcher. Birds like the Eastern Phoebe or the Least Flycatcher may be attracted your neighborhood if there is ample vegetation which provides a woody understory. Cedar Waxwings are often attracted to lawns which have trees or shrubs that fruit such as Pagoda Dogwood, Serviceberry, or the Cockspur or Washington Hawthorns. Kingbirds tend to be more prevalent in rural areas; I can remember seeing them on fence posts while growing up Central Illinois.

Unsure if it's the same Phoebe, but this was from the first time we saw one in the yard which was in 2013.

There are other things you can do as well to attract these birds. Remember that native vegetation supports native insect life, and native insects support native birds. You can also leave the grass of your lawn a little longer, as this will also increase your lawn's insect population. You may also find that after mowing when the insects are all stirred up is exactly when these birds will come to visit.

Winged Wednesday - The Neighborhood Owls

We usually start to hear them in the late fall and then throughout the winter. We are certain that they must nest in the Spruces up the street from us each winter. Our Beagle doesn't seem to like walking this way when they are hooting during the winter. On very rare occasion we have caught a glimpse of them in the night.

Our local Great Horned Owls have generally been fairly elusive despite being incredibly vocal. This past week while working in the garden, the local American Crows were quite raucous. Initially I ignored them assuming that it wasn't anything interesting, but after over an hour of the noise, I decided to investigate. They cawed at a large brown lump in our neighbor's tree, so I concluded I should get a camera to improve my viewing.

The brown lump appeared to be two young Great Horned Owls attempting to get some shut eye.

The Owls managed to outlast Crows but took off when our neighbor's mowing service arrived.

Great Horned Owls are large native raptors which are distributed widely. Like other animals who do well in backyards, they are pretty adaptable, and their diet consists of a variety of small mammals and even Skunk. During the winter our owls duet together, and generally we've found them to be welcome company.

Common Critters - Striped Mammals - Raccoons and Skunks

Two of the larger mammals you may encounter in your Midwestern backyard aren't necessarily the kind of visitors you'd be excited to stumble into in the dark of night. They are also the kind of visitors you may want to keep away from your pets. Both of these visitors are adorned with stripes; they are the Raccoon and the Striped Skunk.

Raccoons are remarkably intelligent, adaptable, and persistent members of a family of mammals which includes Coatis and Kinkajous. Raccoons may be attracted to your neighborhood for foraging. They will happily topple over garbage cans, eat left out cat food, and even eat from bird feeders. Their industriousness can be a challenge; one often faced by campers who have to find inventive ways to keep these mammals out of their coolers.

Because of their nocturnal nature, you may never actually spot a Raccoon in your yard, but you can look for signs. Raccoon paw prints often look like little hands. You can also look for gnaw marks on your garbage cans or other outdoor totes. You may also find particularly gnarly looking scat in your yard. Raccoon droppings are fairly distinct; let's just say that if it came from your dog you'd be fairly concerned.

We've recently had Raccoon visitors and needed to move our bird feed tote into the garage. Note that it also means that we have been good about closing the garage door at night, since they would not be afraid to enter it while we sleep.

They were smart enough to go for the handles which fold over to form a lock for the container.

Based on the goodies I have in there, I assume they were after the peanuts or striped sunflower seeds.

Striped Skunks may also visit your yard during the night. They can be attracted to neighborhoods in surprisingly large numbers if folks leave food out for cats. They also enjoy rooting around the soil for grubs; the end result is almost a reverse mole hill. Skunks will also look for shelter in dense bushes or under decks. When I was in college there was a Skunk which lived in the bushes near the auditorium; he'd come out during the night and could be found foraging around the building. We haven't actually seen a Skunk in our yard, but we have had mornings where we could still smell Skunk lingering in the air when we let the dog out.

Neither of these species is on their own a pest. Having mammals in your backyard may simply be a sign of good biodiversity. They may be busily munching away on the insects, amphibians, or fruit you have growing in your yard. They could also be a sign that you or your neighbors could do a better job cleaning up after yourselves by not leaving pet food or garbage out. They can however become a problem if they interact with your pets or children, or if they manage to get themselves into places where they don't belong such as your shed, garage, or attic. Many counties no longer offer animal control services for problematic wildlife; if you encounter serious problems with Raccoons or Skunks please consider finding a company who can trap and relocate the unwanted visitor.

International Crane Foundation

The International Crane Foundation had been on our list of places to visit for too long, and this past weekend we made a trip to Baraboo to check it out. We were particularly excited by the prospect of seeing Whooping Cranes for the first time, but the fact that the grounds are home to every species of crane was also exciting.

The weather on Friday was cool and gray, and we even got sprinkled on a bit. The ICF was also doing a controlled burn of a portion of the grounds. A good chunk of the grounds appears to be Oak Savanna, and visitors are welcome to trek on birding trails while there.

We entered the park aware of the ICF's good work in helping to bring the Whooping Crane back from brink and then learned much about their efforts in trying to help other crane populations which are critically endangered or vulnerable including the Blue Crane and the Siberian Crane. (More detailed accounts of the ICF's efforts can be read in Chasing the Ghost Birds by David Sakrison.)

We were particularly impressed by the paddocks setup for the Whooping Cranes and Waddled Cranes, and generally speaking this was how we envisioned the entire park being setup. These species had homes which were open with a pond, reed beds, and even visiting Mallards and Red Wings Blackbirds.

Whooper catches a snake.

Whooper couple at home.

Waddled Crane in the reeds.

Most of the birds are in smaller paddocks which are a laid out in a circle. The nicest looking paddock houses the Blue Cranes.

Otherwise the paddocks left us feeling a little sad for the birds' captivity.

The staff are very friendly. The grounds are very clean with recycle and garbage bins stationed at every few exhibits. Some of the exhibits even have small amphitheaters. It's a very nice place to visit, and we'd strongly recommend stopping by if you are in Central Wisconsin. You can see all of the birds in under 90 minutes if you are pressed for time.

The ICF stands as a reminder of a few things for us. 1. How fortunate we are that such organizations exists, such that we now enjoy the regular and recurring presence of the Sandhill Cranes throughout Wisconsin. 2. That such organization are deserving of our support. 3. That it is very easy to neglect or delay visiting local attractions.

I've posted some additional pictures below from our trip.

Red Crowned Crane

Sarus Crane

Siberian Crane

Black Necked Crane

Brolga

Winged Wednesday: Two Orioles for the Price of One

It's May, and during May we watch for a host of birds which visit our yard for only a short period of time. Generally we are on the look out for Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, Thrushes, Flycatchers, and Orioles. At the end of April, I hang our Oriole feeder which contains nectar, grape jelly and orange wedges. This year to our surprise we attracted two Orioles for the price of one.

This year the Grosbeaks arrived about the same time as the Baltimore Orioles, I think they were greeting each other and talking shop.

The feeder drew in the usual suspects first. The Baltimore Orioles arrived at the feeder on May 2 and have visited the yard everyday since. We've seen both male and female birds. The males are dark black with a neon orange underside. They often whistle for awhile up in the trees or on the phone line before coming down for a treat. The female birds seem to arrive later and come to the feeder less often; they are a yellowish orange with a grayish back and wings.

The male Orchard Oriole was squabbling with a female Baltimore.

This year, we also managed to attract a pair of Orchard Orioles. They arrived on May 12. They seem to be little smaller than the Baltimore Orioles and a bit more skittish. The male is primarily black with a bold chestnut red underside. The female looks a lot like the Baltimore females but is more yellow, almost softer in color.

Both species seem particularly interested in the jelly, which we bought on the cheap. It's generic grape from a squeeze bottle. Having used a jar and spoon in the past, I'd strongly recommend squeeze bottle, it's so much easier to fill the hanging feeder. They have also really gone through the orange wedges, but neither species seems particular interested in the nectar unless both the oranges and the jelly are gone.

Are you seeing Orioles in your neck of the woods?

Biodiversity Timeline

Let's talk a little bit about biodiversity. Biodiversity is a concept related to how many different species are part of a particular community. In this particular case, how many different species are part of our yards. In nature, the amount of life a place can sustain, the more healthy it is considered. In other words, high biodiversity and an ecosystem's health are directly related. The wonderful thing about our yards, is that we as the stewards have direct control over how biodiverse our property is. If we choose to maintain a homogenous monoculture of turf grass, then we elect to keep biodiversity low. If we choose to plant a variety of flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees, then we elect to increase the yard's biodiversity. Here's our biodiversity story so far.

2011

We moved into our home in April of 2011. The yard was fairly sparse, noteworthy plants included Siberian Iris, Tulips, Daffodils, and Asiatic Lilies. The yard had no trees and two ornamental shrubs. Its diversity is documented in the table below.

Flowers	4
Grasses	0
Shrubs	2
Trees	0

I immediately began to increase the yard's diversity focusing primarily on extending the existing flower bed and adding some shrubs.

End of Spring 2011

Flowers	13
Grasses	2
Shrubs	4
Trees	0

In the spring of 2012, we renewed our focus on adding native plants. We added trees to the yard in 2012, and it was the first year we started keeping track of our animal diversity. We wanted to see the impact the new plants had on the ecosystem of our yard.

2012

Flowers	13
Grasses	2
Shrubs	5
Trees	5

2012 Animal Species

Reptiles and Amph	1
Bees and Butterflies	13
Mammals	5
Birds	31

In 2013, we spent some time trying to dig out and eliminate the non-native plants with only some success. We also added a couple more trees and replaced some shrubs which had been chewed back by the rabbits.

2013

Flowers	11
Grasses	3
Shrubs	5
Trees	7

2013 Animal Species

Reptiles and Amph	1
Bees and Butterflies	14
Mammals	7
Birds	40

This year, we've focused on the front yard, and once again we've needed to replace some shrubs. Our most recent round of plant purchases included: Prairie Dropseed, Little Blue Stem, Blazing Star, Bee Balm (Genus Monarda), Obedient Plant, and Wild Onion.

2014

Flowers	14
Grasses	3
Shrubs	5
Trees	7

2014 Animal Species to Date

Reptiles and Amph	0
Bees and Butterflies	5
Mammals	5
Birds	37

From what we can tell so far, it appears that as we increase the diversity of the plant life in our yard, the diversity of the animals which come to visit increases as well. Between the flowers, butterflies, birds, and shrubs, we have interesting colors in our yard from May through October. And while the winter has less visual interest, the regular bird traffic provides more visual appeal than what the yard would have otherwise.

Here's a list of a the current plant species which have been planted intentionally in our yard:

Flowers:
• Blue Lupine
• Blazing Star
• Obedient Plant
• Bee Balm
• False Indigo
• Cardinal Flower
• Black Eyed Susan
• Purple Coneflower
• Prairie Coneflower
• Columbine
• Butterfly Milkweed
• Pre-existing Tulips
• Pre-existing Daffodils

Grasses:
• Big Blue Stem
• Little Blue Stem
• Prairie Dropseed

Shrubs:
• Serviceberry
• Black Chokeberry
• Pagoda Dogwood
• Staghorn Sumac
• Highbush Cranberry

Trees:
• Bur Oak
• Red Oak
• Quaking Aspen
• White Spruce
• White Pine
• Washington Hawthorne
• Eastern Redbud

Plant by Habitat: Boreal Forest

Over past few weeks, we covered a variety of natural communities found in the Upper Midwest including: Deciduous Forests, Prairie, Pine Barrens, and Oak Savannas. Each post is intended to help readers select groups of plants which grow together naturally. This post will focus on the trees and shrubs which make up the coniferous and boreal forests of the Upper Midwest.

Red Breasted Nuthatches enjoy peanuts in addition to conifer seeds and insects.

The key feature of a coniferous forest, are of course the coniferous trees. In the Upper Midwest these forests are composed of dense stands of Eastern White Pine (More on Native Pines), White Spruce (More on Native Spruce), and/or Balsam Fir. When grown in close proximity these trees form a dense canopy which creates shade below throughout the year. These trees are home to native bird species such as Pine Siskins, Red Breasted Nuthatches, and Pine Grosbeaks; all of which will feed on the seeds of these plants by extracting their meal from the cones produced by the trees.

Black Hills Spruce is a subspecies of White Spruce which is generally easy to find.

These stands of Pine, Spruce, and Fir may not be entirely homogenous; other trees which can be found in these forests include: Hemlock, Paper Birch, and Quaking Aspen. Paper Birch is an attractive tree with white bark which many people choose to plant in their front yard. Quaking Aspen is another option; it grows remarkably quickly. Both the Paper Birch and the Quaking Aspen are deciduous, but neither grow a large shade- providing canopy (like an Oak or Maple would).

If the tree cover is dense, the understory will be sparsely populated, but some shrubs found in the understory include: Serviceberry, Witch Hazel, and Blueberry. Blueberry can be particularly tricky to grow as it requires a low soil ph ideally between 4.0 and 6.0. If your yard has much limestone, the ph is likely to0 high. Serviceberry and Witch Hazel provide interesting color at opposite ends of the year. Serviceberry will bloom with white, showy flowers in the very early spring. Witch Hazel will turn vibrant yellow in the fall.

Our Alleghany Serviceberry's showy spring blooms.

In the forest you are unlikely to come across much grass, however you may find other forms of ground cover including Wild Sarsaparilla and Bunchberry. I haven't seen much of either commercially available, so if you are looking for something to put down other than turf grass, you could consider Pine straw or needle mulch, stone, and/or try some ferns such as: Christmas Fern or Lady Fern.

Coniferous forests as described in this post are common in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan than in the rest of the Midwest. If you are unsure of these plant selection, please visit your state's DNR or Forestry website for information on coniferous forests in your state. Happy planting!

Winged Wednesday May's Birding Blues

Blue is an interesting color which isn't overly common in nature. Nature is full of brown, green, black, white, and perhaps yellow and red may even be more common. Wisconsin like the rest of the Upper Midwest can count on a couple of things to be fairly consistently blue: the sky, the lakes, and Blue Jays.

Regal Blue Jay looks down upon the yard.

Today however we had a very blue visitor. An Indigo Bunting dropped in for a visit. This blue Finch joined a colorful array of other birds as our Orioles and Grosbeaks arrived at the end of last week. It's been our experience in the past that they won't stick around; they'll visit a handful of times in May then find somewhere a little more wild for their nesting, but they are a sure sign that spring is really here. This particular Bunting showed some interest in the Oriole feeder, which have been because these birds are interested in fruits such as Serviceberry, Strawberry, and Blueberry.

Indigo Bunting gets a better view from the top of the bird house.

Of course, other blue migrants have started to arrive. The Barn Swallows have taken up their usual haunt in the parking deck at work, and we've started to see Tree Swallows around as well. Our nest boxes remain empty, but I remain hopeful that a pair will take up residence in our yard. We regularly see Tree Swallows over the retention pond near our home, and they typically take up residence in bird houses in a nearby park.

Acrobatic Tree Swallow takes break on a nest box.

The other blue migrant we expect to see but have yet to spy this spring are the Eastern Bluebirds. Typically we have only seen them in the park or when we make it out somewhere more rural, but last spring they came to check out one of the nest boxes in our yard. It was occupied at the time by Black Capped Chickadees. If they come around again this year, they'll find two nest boxes which are currently vacant, so we remain hopeful.

Hopefully he'll remember us and return.

Wisconsin State Flower: Wood Violets Among the First to Bloom

The Meadow Violet or the Common Blue Violet is state flower for Wisconsin and other states including Illinois, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. In Wisconsin school children were given the opportunity to vote for the State Flower and in 1909 the Common Blue Violet was selected.

This one is purple, but we have a number of them which are white as well.

Over this past weekend, the gray, cold, wet weather took a long enough pause for us to notice that our yard was starting to fill with violets. Part of maintaining our wildflower garden and other flower beds is the dedicated removal of weeds, but one of the exceptions we make to this removal is for the violets. (Side note, we don't hand weed the lawn so any weeds out in the turf grass are welcome stay, the Bumble Bees love the Creeping Charlie this early in the spring anyway.)

We leave the violets in place for a couple of reasons. First of which is that it's the state flower, it just seems wrong to attempt to purge it. The second of which is value it has for the local pollinators. Our pollinator count for the year so far is 4 identified species: Cabbage White Butterfly, Bumble Bee, Large Carpenter Bee, and the Honey Bee.

This early in the spring, there may not be much other food available for these little guys. While the Lupine is starting to look bushy, the violets are looking showy, so even if you aren't concerned about the bees, these flowers can add a splash of color to your spring.

One note of caution this little flower can spread like wildfire especially if you are eliminating the competition so if you aren't looking for native ground cover it may not be the plant for you.

Plant by Habitat: Deciduous Forest

A recent theme for many posts has been planting by habitat, whereby we've tried to identify native plants which can be planted together to simulate natural communities. For most of these communities trees are the backbone with shrubs and other plants being the guts. Depending on what you already have in your yard, you could be off to a good start. This post will focus on the Deciduous Forest.

A number of tree species which can be easily found commercially may already be planted in your yard. In the Upper Midwest, trees common in yards and the forests include: the Sugar Maple, Red Maple, and White Oak. These trees are excellent shade trees for your yard, and they support a host of wildlife. Common forest birds which are likely to be attracted to these trees include: Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Downey and Hairy Woodpeckers, Black Capped Chickadees, White Breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays, and Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers. Maple sap may even be eaten by migratory birds who take advantage of the Sapsucker's drill holes including Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. An Oak's acorns will attract a variety of other kinds of critters including Squirrels and Chipmunks. Mor e information on these trees can be found in earlier posts; Information on Oaks or Information on Maples.

Red Bellied Woodpecker comes down for a visit.

A number of other trees make up the skeleton of the deciduous forest; note that some of these trees may be more difficult to find than their Oak or Maple counterparts. These trees include: American Beech, American Elm, Basswood, Black Cherry, and Shagbark Hickory. Black Cherry will attract certain species of caterpillar which are eaten by birds, and the fruit of the tree will also attract our feathered friends including some which may not come as regularly to feeders such as Orchard Orioles. The Black Cherry is also very attractive when in bloom. The American Beech produces a nut which is smaller than an acorn. Beech nuts are eaten by Red Headed Woodpeckers, the Tufted Titmouse, and Red Breasted Nuthatches. The Shagbark Hickory's bark is an excellent hunting ground for birds like Nuthatches and the Brown Creeper as the bark is home to many insects.

Once you've selected some variety of trees for your forest planting, you'll want to move on to the understory. The Mapleleaf Viburnum is a good Viburnum to consider when looking for forest shrubs. This plant can provide excellent cover and protection for birds and small mammals. It may produce abundant fruit eaten by birds like Grouse or Turkey. American Witchhazel has showy yellow flowers in the fall. The fruit produced by this shrub is eaten by Northern Bobwhites, Grouse, and Eastern Cottontail Rabbits. Witchhazel can be grown as a shrub or managed to be grown as a small tree.

Birds like this Gray Catbird enjoy dense shrubby cover.

If providing dense cover with trees and shrubs, you may encounter a challenge in selecting flowers which will tolerate the shade. Here are some suggestions for native flowers which you may be able to find for this habitat: Jack in the Pulpit, Large Flowered Trillium, and Virginia Bluebells. Trillium has a showy white flower which appears in May or June. The Bluebells grow low to the ground and have small blue flowers which present early in the year in April or May, around the same time the Jack in the Pulpit flowers.

If interested in having a forest getaway, this post should be a good place to get started. Many other native plants also grow in the Deciduous Forest, ask your local nursery for more information. Happy planting.